A New Needle in the COMPASS: Career Services

As students move away from campus this summer, Wittenberg’s Career Services office will be beginning to make a move as well. The office will be relocating to the university’s COMPASS Sweet Success Center, located in Thomas Library.
Jon Duraj, associate dean of Students for Student Success and Retention, said the relocation of Career Services is a part of a greater movement to increase student use and awareness of critical support and connection services.
“When COMPASS was developed, one of the highest-demand services students expressed wanting to have in the new center was the ability to have easy access to professional and career development resources to aid in their learning and preparation for life after Wittenberg,” Duraj said. “I am thrilled for Career Services to be re-locating and joining the COMPASS team, and am looking forward to even more students connecting and utilizing the countless resources and programs Career Services offers.”
Career Service’s director Wendy Smiseck has some concerns about the move, and stated that it would affect the daily operations of the center and the services it can provide to students, employers and community members.
According to Smiseck, many students and faculty members do not realize that Career Services provides more than assistance in the career search to students. The current office space in Shouvlin allows the staff to provide employers and students with interview space, both in person and via telecommunication, as well as space for employers such as Peace Corps and Lutheran Volunteer Corps to hold information sessions.
While the COMPASS center may provide a new space to continue such services, Smiseck is concerned about its accessibility to community members and hiring partners, and the lack of privacy in the new space.
Katie Harman, ‘17, has utilized Career Services often in her job search, and she echoes Smiseck’s concerns about lack of privacy.
“I don’t think Career Services should move because I don’t think the COMPASS space is big enough,” Harman said. “The library is noisy and loud, and I don’t feel that the new space allows for much privacy, which I don’t see as conducive to interviews.”
Smiseck said she is excited about the prospect of new students visiting Career Services due to its new location, but that does not change the reservations she has about the space.
“Our current space allows us to serve multiple students at the same time. We can counsel one student on personal issues pertaining to her career while in another area provide help with resumes or access to the job board and other resources. We do all this in a space that is contained and controlled; yet, it remains inviting and permits the symbiotic workflow necessary to give first class service to the students. The proposed move will significantly challenge our ability to work at our current level,” said Smiseck.